SEC West rivalries can be some of the most intense in college sports.
The Auburn soccer team knows this well as it prepares to face Ole Miss Friday with a nine-match unbeaten streak after defeating Kentucky Friday and Vanderbilt Sunday at home.
"We've been working a lot on just connecting passes, moving and just combining," said senior midfielder Katy Frierson after the Kentucky game. "We had sprints where we played just great soccer."
The Ole Miss matchup is an even more intense SEC rivalry for coach Karen Hoppa and her team.
"Ole Miss is a huge West rivalry and a special one for me," Hoppa said. "Their head coach is my former assistant. We worked together for 11 years. It's a fun and a friendly and a special rivalry."
Auburn is 8-1-1 overall and 2-0 in the SEC, while Ole Miss is 4-4-1 overall and 0-1 in the conference. Ole Miss lost Friday to Arkansas in their first SEC game of the season.
Last year's match between the two teams resulted in an Ole Miss victory at Auburn.
"We actually haven't had a lot of success against them since I've been here," Frierson said.
Hoppa said the challenge Ole Miss presents is known, and she hopes the Tigers can improve their play this year.
"We aren't happy with our result last year against Ole Miss, so we've got to get prepared and have a tough week of practice," Hoppa said. "They're a tough team, and they play 90 minutes. They scored a couple of good goals and defended really well, and to go into any SEC away game is always difficult and extra challenging.
"You've got to approach those games mentally like you are already down a goal. We've got to play with that type of mentality."
Junior midfielder Ana Cate said they know the mindset required to play an SEC rivalry game away.
"We try to keep it the same as if it was a home game," Cate said. "Mentality-wise, we know anything's going to be difficult, especially in the SEC. When we do go away it adds an extra sense of urgency."
Playing away isn't going to affect the team's intensity Friday. Cate said their plan is to come out strong and keep the tempo on their side.
"We know we're going up against a big crowd that's going to be 100 percent against us," she said. "When we talk about it in pregame, we talk about scoring fast and setting the tempo as soon as we get there, and try not to wait to the last minute when they have their fans behind them."
Frierson said the team will concentrate on its own play despite the high stakes.
"There's a lot on the line, a lot of emotion," Frierson said. "But I think we are just going to concentrate on our game and continue improving where we can."
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